Gregory Conley

Contact Gregory Conley

Gregory Conley was a research fellow with the Heartland Institute from February 2014 to February 2015. He now runs the American Vaping Association, a nonprofit that advocates for vaping products as a tool to help smokers quit.

Gregory Conley was a research fellow with the Heartland Institute from February 2014 to February 2015. He now runs the American Vaping Association, a nonprofit that advocates for vaping products as a tool to help smokers quit.

Prior to joining Heartland, Conley served as the volunteer legislative director for the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA), the largest consumer group representing the interests of users of smoke-free tobacco and nicotine products. There, he led grassroots efforts aimed at defeating legislation that aimed to make low-risk alternatives to smoking like electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco less accessible or affordable. His interest in the field of tobacco harm reduction (THR) began after he quit smoking with an e-cigarette in August 2010.

Conley has given testimony before the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, as well as committees in numerous state legislatures. His work has appeared in several outlets, including the New York Post, National Review Online, Reason Online, and Convenience Store Decisions.

Conley earned a Juris Doctor and Masters in Business Administration from Rutgers University. In addition to his work with Heartland, Conley is an attorney and an independent legislative consultant and policy analyst with a specialization in health, tax and tobacco issues.

Recent Articles and Publications

“Although ‘protecting the children’ is a laudable goal, this rhetoric is overused and threatens the millions of smokers who have quit smoking combustible cigarettes by using these products.” - Lindsey Stroud

“Hopefully, the FDA will look at the evidence from around the world that shows that encouraging and allowing companies to honestly market their less harmful products is good for public health.” - John Nothdurft

Friday, August 8 marked the end of the comment period for a proposed rulemaking by the Food and Drug Administration to classify electronic cigarettes as the equivalent of combustible tobacco cigarettes.

There’s an interesting phenomenon playing out in both New Jersey and Ohio: Two of the country’s most prominent conservative Republican governors have proposed new taxes of a sort that haven’t appealed even to traditionally liberal, tax-hungry state

For years, advocates for smoke-free alternatives, such as electronic cigarettes and other e-vapor products, have known that these products are effective at helping smokers quit or dramatically reduce their cigarette consumption.